There are hearing loss problems of five degrees, ranging from mild to profound hearing loss. Each degree of hearing loss is separated based on the sound level at which one faces difficulty hearing. One might think that mild hearing loss will affect their way of life in a “mild” manner. But that’s not the case at all, as even the mildest degree of hearing loss can profoundly affect a person’s life, as their communication skills and ability to socialize can get deeply hampered.


What is Mild Hearing Loss?

As said earlier, hearing loss problems are divided into five degrees, and mild hearing loss is the lowest among them. The other four degrees of hearing loss problems are moderate hearing loss, moderate to severe hearing loss, severe hearing loss, and profound hearing loss. You’ll be able to say a person has a mild hearing loss if they are unable to hear sounds quieter than 25 dB. The range starts from 15 dB in the case of children.

A person with mild hearing loss won’t be able to hear sounds such as whispered conversations, leaves rustling, dripping water, birds chirping, feet shuffling on carpets or floors, etc. A person with mild hearing loss doesn’t face any problems following conversations while talking one-to-one with someone in a quiet place. Still, they face difficulties in doing so while the conversation is going on in a crowded or noisy environment. If that’s the case, they’ll need hearing aids for mild hearing loss.

A hearing implant, commonly known as a cochlear implant, is an electronic medical device designed to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and an internal portion that is surgically placed under the skin.

Here’s how it works:
  • The external part includes a microphone to pick up sound, a speech processor to select and arrange sounds picked up by the microphone, and a transmitter that sends the processed sound signals to the internal implant.
  • The internal part is a receiver that converts the signals into electric impulses, which are sent to an array of electrodes in the cochlea. These electrodes stimulate the cochlear nerve, sending signals to the brain that are interpreted as sound.
  • Cochlear implants can benefit individuals with severe to profound hearing loss who do not receive significant benefits from conventional hearing aids. They are suitable for both adults and children, including babies. The implants can help users perceive different sounds, understand speech without lip-reading, and even enjoy music or phone conversations.
However, getting a cochlear implant involves a surgical procedure, and it’s not suitable for everyone. It also requires significant rehabilitation and therapy to learn how to interpret the new sounds2. For more detailed information, you can visit reputable sources like the Mayo Clinic or Healthline.  

Most importantly, they face difficulties taking part in group conversations and find it difficult to attend social gatherings in crowded places. Hearing loss deeply affects a person's way of life. So, no matter how mild the hearing loss problem is, a person needs to be swift in taking action to deal with it. Using hearing aids is the best treatment method for mild hearing loss.

Causes of Mild Hearing Loss

A person can suffer from mild hearing loss at any point in their life, and it can occur for various reasons. Let’s have a look at the probable causes of mild hearing loss problems-

Aging

.Ageing is one of the most common causes of hearing loss problems, as the hearing cells inside the inner ear tend to get damaged with time. The older a person gets, the more their hearing cells become prone to damage, and that damage can cause various degrees of hearing loss, starting from mild. And these hearing loss problems are permanent.

Exposure to Loud Noise

Exposure to noise is one of the primary causes of hearing loss, and most mild hearing loss problems are caused by it. Exposure to noise can cause significant damage to the cells of the inner ear and, as a result, permanent hearing loss.

Excessive Amount of Earwax

If there is an excessive amount of earwax inside a person’s ear, it can compromise their hearing and cause mild hearing loss. However, one can get rid of the problem by going through specific measures and regaining normal hearing. An audiologist can help you with that.

Ear Infection

Ear infections can cause hearing loss to some degree, and most of them are mild. Treating the infection can easily eliminate the hearing loss. Even though ear infections are mostly seen among children, they can occur in adults, too.

Abnormalities in the Small Middle Ear Bones

The small bones in the middle ear are essential in receiving sound signals and sending them to the brain so that one can hear the sound. However, if someone has any kind of abnormality in those bones, they can suffer from mild hearing loss or even something more severe. However, the abnormalities of the bones can be treated, so this is not permanent hearing loss.

Birth Defects and Genetic Factors

Children can be born with hearing loss problems to some extent due to genetic factors, or some infections or diseases the mother has suffered from during pregnancy.

Medical Conditions

Some medical conditions such as acoustic neuromas, Meniere’s disease, and also head trauma can cause mild hearing loss problems in a person.

Effects of Mild Hearing Loss

Even though it’s called mild hearing loss, its effects are not that mild. In fact, a person’s life can be deeply affected by mild hearing loss. With mild hearing loss, one might feel that their ears are plugged or people around them are mumbling. They won’t face any problem making one-to-one conversations with someone as long as the conversation is in a quiet environment and they are nearby.

However, problems occur when the other person is far away or the conversation occurs in a noisy or crowded environment. There are certain consonant sounds, such as f,s,k, etc., that a person with mild hearing loss has trouble hearing. That’s why even though they might hear other people’s speeches, they will face trouble in understanding them. Speeches might seem unclear; if they aren’t loud enough, they become even more challenging to understand.

The inability to understand speech clearly and having conversations with a group of people can greatly affect a person's interpersonal and social relationships. Things can get irritating for both sides while having conversations, and social events can get really exhausting for a person with mild hearing loss. So, it can lead to isolation, and the isolation can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression.

Final Words

Even though it might seem that a person is doing fine in getting on with life even with mild hearing loss, that problem can worsen with time, and the person’s life will start getting affected even more badly. So, it is really important to take measures to deal with the problem, such as using hearing aids. Hearing aids are the best thing to use in terms of mild hearing loss, as these can easily make a person hear a lot better by amplifying the sounds.